Ice cube support



March y'4, 1952 E. D. EKKEBUS ETAL ICE CUBE SUPPORT 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed July 25, 1949 lMarch 4, 1952 E. D. r-:KKEBUS ETAL ICE CUBE SUPPORT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed July 23, 1949 -I.| :llzi----::-------ii Nl www www

am n Patented Mar. 4, '1952 IoEoUBE SUPPORT v fEloy `DN'Ekkelnis,'John CalGallagheri'fancFlRaymond Zapfel, :.chicago, IIL-, assignors'toffllis .-Rubber Corporation; -.Chieago,srlll.,r `a 'corporation of Delaware Z Claims. 1

J'Our .-inventionirelates :to-:anx improvementin Vice -Lcube supports fand has for one spurposer to uprovide .an .f improvedrsupport in which 1. -ice cubes @may be frozen.. and .storedoande-from-:which `they .can be '.dispensed.

Another purpose'v isy to` :provide an improved ice "cubefstoragewmeans from which ice'icubescambe 'removed ini less` quantity; thanA the;` totalfquantity .undergoingisimultaneous? storage. `Anotherfipurr pose ris .to :provide an' improved A:individual container :in which ice cubes f may .be frozen and purpose fris to :providefa :support @for flexible ice .cube containers.

Other purposesrwillv appear Vfrom time-lite time in the course of the specication and claims.

Welillustrate the? invention more or less diagrammatically .Tin f the` accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

l FigurelZfis a.sectionfon-.thefline 2-f-2wof4 =Fig ure 1;

Figure Sis aplan view; Figure `4"is"`a'side elevation with" parts broken awayland parts in vertical section;

"Figurelish-a-wperspective viewof an individual ice Acube container pand liFigure' 6 fis a-section on-the lline B-G--Vo'fF-igure 5.

.Like parts -areNindiCated'Pby like f-symbls throughout Vthe--specification fand drawings.

Referringtto the drawings; we 4employ#` a' lrelatively." rigid base or support,1lgenerally indioatedas A, whichlncludesa* bottom potionliaving transversely,4 longitudinally fextendinglfparts I connected by-an-upwardly f extending? ridge 2. The parts IJterminate `at theirfouter side @edges in downwardly turned flanges or runners 3. The lower edges of the flanges 3 terminate in a single horizontal plane and are adapted to serve as runners or supports which engage the bottom of the freezing sleeve or container into which the support A may be inserted. It may, for example be the container of the conventional ice cube freezing compartment of a household refrigerator. The support A is shown as having a front Wall 4 and a rear wall 5. These may be of any suitable material and are preferably connected at top and bottom to the portions I of the member A, and also to the upwardly extending longitudinal ridge 2.

Mounted on the base A, and between the end walls 4 and 5, are a plurality of individual ice cube containers. These containers are preferllablyfoilfiieitible;feasilyifdistortableflmaterialgsuch 1as rubber for a l'rubbersubstituted `or `an'suitable 5225 formed iandi-prop'ovi'tiined''-to provide The arrangement of theindilvidualicdntaiers B on the base A is indicated, for example, in Figures 1 and 2.

Whereas we have shown a practical and operative embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that many changes may be made in size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. We therefore wish our description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic rather than as limiting us to our speciiic showing herein. For example, whereas we illustrate runners 3 for supporting the supporting element for ready removal from a sleeve or evaporator, it will be understood that other `means or other shapes of downward projection of contact, and for thereby permitting the support to be withdrawn, sled-like, from the sleeve or refrigerating surface upon which it is supported.

The use and operation of our invention are as follows:

We employ a relatively rigid supporting base A which is adapted to be slidably inserted into any suitable sleeve or refrigerating container. It is preferably of the same general size and proportions as the ice cube trays which are customarily used in domestic refrigerators. It may thus readily be sold as a replacement for the conventional ice cube trays, to be used in previously sold refrigerators or it is adapted for use in new equipment. It is frequently advantageous to be able to remove a smaller number of Vice cubes than are actually frozen in or stored in the conventional ice cube tray. We nd it advantageous to employ individually removable sub-containers as shown lat B, which can be removed and emptied of ice and can thereafter be refilled with water and returned to the support A. This entirely avoids the necessity of breaking out the ice cubes from an entire tray. It also provides a very ready and convenient means for removing the number of ice cubes which are to be used. 1f, for example, in a small household, it is desired to provide ice for two drinks, the user need only remove one of the units B from the support Since the container is preferably formed of exible and readily distortable material, it is a very simple matter to remove the frozen ice cubes. Very slight thawing, or no thawing at all, and a sllgiit twisting or bending of the unit is all that is necessary. The user can then immediately refill the compartments I0 and Il with water and return the unit B to the support A. We find it desirable to employ a somewhat larger cavity than is employed in any conventional ice cube trays. Thus a large piece of ice is provided which is adequate to cool a drink.

The fact that the two ice pockets are located at opposite sides of the ridge 2 makes it.Y easy to remove or apply the units B. The central bridge vl1 is a lconvenient handle, unless the pockets are lled to the top. The flanges 2l also assist both in handling and in twisting or bending the unit to fr ee the ice cubes. There is a minimum possibility of freezing the support A to the freezer sleeve, because of the small surface con'- tact insured by the runners 3. There is a mini.- mum chance of freezingthe units B to the support A because of the use of spacing supports 20. It will further be understood that the snug contact shown in Figure 2 between the ridge 2 and the opposed walls of the pockets may be avoided by similar spacing means.

A, leaving the support A in the refrigerator.

We claim:

1. In an assembly for freezing and dispensing ice cubes, a support adapted for slidable insertion into a freezing sleeve, a flexible ice cube container adapted to contain a plurality of ice cubes removably mounted thereon, said support including a bottom. wall and upstanding end walls but being free of cube container supporting side walls, a longitudinally extending ridge upstariding from said bottom wall along substantially the center thereof, said cube container being mounted on said ridge and having cube compartments on each side of said ridge, the cube container having supporting engagement with the bottom wall and with-said longitudinally extending ridge only.

2. In an assembly for freezing and dispensing ice cubes, a metal ice cube container support adapted to be slidably inserted into a freezing sleeve, said support including a bottom Wall having sleeve engaging portions bent downwardly .along the longitudinal side edges thereof, said ELOY D. EKKEBUS. JOHN C. GALLAGHER. RAYMOND ZAPFEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,717,857 Spreen June 18, 1929 1,764,787 Hatch June 17, 1930 1,780,422 Geiler Nov. 4, 1930 1,952,729 Rawlings Mar. 27, 1934 2,182,454 Sherman Dec. 5, 1939 2,367,098 Cole Jan, 9, 1945 2,389,317 Kitto Nov. 20, 1945 2,415,451 Syni'lestvedt Feb. 1l, 1947 2,459,168 Jocelyn Jan. 18, 1949 2,469,067 Follin May 3, 1949 2,494,043 Jocelyn Jan. 10, 1950 2,498,964 Roethel Feb. 28, 1950 

